The Tragedies of Newtown, Connecticut
Lanza’s parents divorced three years ago, and the former honor-roll student refused to go to college, instead living with his mother in Newtown. On Friday, he stole three of his mother’s legally-owned guns, killing her as the first victim of the day. While many reports rumored his mother to have been a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook, Associated Press recently revealed that she was not, but may have been a substitute.
This news may confuse many readers, correcting a false link between his mother and the school– although Lanza did attend Sandy Hook as a child. Many sources believe that the killing of the children was solely a secondary goal– but his motive was centered around his parent’s divorce and his mother’s possible tie to the school.
While Lanza’s objective is still unknown, rumors of the evil act are continuously buzzing around the internet, and police are working to discover the true story. We do know that Lanza forced his way into the elementary school, opening fire in two classrooms and killing 20 children, six adults, and himself, in merely a few minutes. He wore a bullet-proof vest and carried a semi-automatic assault rifle and two high-powered pistols. He also killed Sandy Hook principal, Dawn Hochsprung, who lost her life lunging at Lanza in attempt to stop the rampage. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/
The names and ages of the dead was recently released, confirming that most of the killed children were six or seven years old. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H Wayne Carver reported that the children were each shot up close, multiple times.
Since Lanza has no record of criminal history, the police questioned many of his old classmates, in a desperate attempt to figure out the killer’s motive. Many anonymous sources believed him to have a personality disorder, or even Aspergers syndrome. While these claims haven’t been confirmed, Lanza’s social awkwardness and extreme intelligence play a key role in Aspergers.
High school classmate Olivia DeVivo stated, “He was very different and very shy and didn’t make an effort to interact with anybody. Lanza always came to school toting a briefcase and wearing his shirt buttoned all the way up.” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Another former classmate, Richard Novia, claimed that Lanza pressed himself against the hallway walls when approached by people, “clutching his black case like an 8-year-old who refuses to give up his teddy bear.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.
Although many sources described him as quiet and awkward, Novia said that he never could have foreseen Lanza’s killing spree on Friday. However, many of his behavioral issues have elements of loneliness attached, resulting in Lanza’s anger towards people building up over the years in a contained filter, which bubbled up and exploded on Friday morning.
FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole says, “I think the most important thing to point out with this kind of individual is that he did not snap this morning and decide to act out violently. These acts involve planning and thoughtfulness and strategizing in order to put the plan together, so what may appear to be snap behavior is not that at all.” (http://abcnews.go.com/
Newtown is in a state of complete shock, hysteria, and mourning, with many families pulling their children out of Sandy Hook Elementary or moving to a new town. The once safe environment will always have these unforeseen murders attached to it, and many families will never be able to look past the misery of so many child funerals. Jeannie Pasacreta, a local psychologist, says that many individuals in Newton are feeling guilty about Christmas, and taking down their decorations.
Lanza’s outburst on Friday has scarred the lives of countless families in Connecticut, and all across the country. But even in a time of mourning, it is important to think about the horrible event through the killer’s eyes, and attempt to understand what could have prevented his actions.
Perhaps Lanza was ignored or made fun of for his odd behavior, and his rage was never treated by a professional. May this terrible event be a lesson to families in close communities, to be aware of young adults who may need to seek help for their troubles, instead of ignoring them. Let us all send our prayers to the families of Newtown.
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